Tag Archives: love

A dear Canadian farmer friend who keeps me updated with the current events of the chicken world touched base today. He and I were wannabe -chicken -farmer -dreamers years back and we both have made our dreams of chicken poop and blood orange egg yolks a reality. His dream expanded far wider than mine and he is going to town on his farm in Canada. His dream is his livelihood. Mine is my hobby.

Farmer Doug

He sent me the following story of a young sailor guy who is sailing the world with a hen. The sailor desired an animal companion rather than a human. Gee, I wonder why. He settled on a hen. It is my guess you cannot imagine why in the world he would choose a chicken for a sailing mate.

It is my opinion that chickens get a bad rap. They are stupid animals they say. Well…I beg to differererer……Its all relative. What would you expect given their heads are the size of a cherry tomato? Of course, we cannot compare their intellect with ours. Is that what those people are doing? Can we please look at the rest of their character attributes? Intellect ain’t all there is, sista.

My chickens are gentle. They chat with me when I enter their house. And they ALL have a little to add to the conversation. Personalities vary just like ours. They know when I am coming to treat them and when I’m not coming to treat. They wait patiently for me to feed all the other animals.

They walk quietly in single file line to their treating ground. I could learn a thing or two from our “stupid” chickens.

Chickens live in the moment. They are honest about their moment.

They hoot and howl their eggs out. These guys work HARD for your Saturday morning omelet.

They quibble and squabble away their differences. No harm. No foul. No lasting resentments. Unless of course there is a weakling lurking about. I never said they were perfect. Maybe that’s why the sailing guy chose only one hen to sail instead of a buddy system.

As with any being, if you love them, they can in turn love back. If you give them room to grow, they will flourish. If you keep the creature locked in a cage physically, mentally or emotionally where they can’t stand on their little legs, they can not blossom. They will lack the love and luster.

Every night after dinner, we abandoned the dirty dishes and run to the swing to watch the chicken show. There must be some redeeming qualities in these little guys if we invest our evening entertainment hours in avian performances. Maybe I have the intellect problem. Not the chickens. I’ll have to think about that. Or not.

They require no showers before bed time. No teeth brushing. They march right on to their school bus (roost) at dusk without being asked and lights out. I do need to train them to shut lights.

Could I go boating with one of my hens? Oh yes. If I liked boats. Can I take her on a jaunt around the world in my pickup? I’d love to.

“I don’t know if the rest of the country is struggling to understand it the same way we are here,” she said. “Life goes on, but you’re not the same. Is the rest of the country — are they going about their regular activities? Is it just another news story to them?” –Donna who works at a school nearby Sandy Hook Elementary.

“There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” – Corrie Ten Boom

We can wake up each day determined to spread compassion, forgiveness, hope, peace, joy and love within our own small world, and inspire others to live their lives the very same way. We can become accountable. We can PRAY. – Sandi Regan

I quote other’s words because I have no words for what happened Friday other than, I am truly sorry for my part. And my heart quivers for the people.

What can we do to move forward?

When tragedies happen, the enemy celebrates victory. The injection of fear into our hearts. Accomplished. We all want to cry out our fear. We run in circles bigger and bigger, crying out loud. Louder and louder. It is the guns. It is the mental people neglect. It is the government. We have our fingers pointed at each other as if we are all holding a gun. We are afraid.

Fear.

I have always heard that the opposite of fear is love. We are incapable of loving when fear grabs a hold and causes us to draw in. Emotions such as anger, hopelessness, resentment, frustration, etc. are all symptoms of fear. We are not getting our needs or wants met and it reduces us into a state of fear. It causes us to withdraw into ourselves and then we cannot love. We can ask our selves a series of questions and the fear can always be revealed. If I do not get the outcome that I want or feel I deserve, then what becomes of me? ME. The cycle begins. Love steps aside to make room for fear. The two cannot survive in the room together.

I think I need to begin WITH ME. To get OUTTA ME.

So, that I can love.

We have different agendas based on our life experiences. We become afraid based on the feelings those experiences evoke. And we run on that fuel. For our whole life, if we allow. Fear dictates our every move. Our every action is determined by what has happened or not happened to us in our past and how we have internalized it.

I don’t have to allow fear to dictate my life. I can move fear to the basement and let love take over my soul.

I use to be fearful of many, many things. You name it. I think I have stated my fears in an old post, so I wont go there. It helps me to determine the fears that cause me angst. When I feel a negative emotion, I ask myself : What about this situation am I not getting what I want? It does take an element of honesty here. Lots and lots of practice. And then: If I should fail to get what I want or need, what is the worst case scenario? And then: If the worse case scenario happens, so what? If I break the whole scenario down, I am able to get a proper perspective that will disarm my fear. Freed up to love. Most of our fears are about things that actually never happen.

We are experts at projecting failure, hurt, disappointment, neglect, catastrophe, etc on our future and the future of others. All because of fear.

So, what does this have to do with the gun man in Connecticut? If I am able to stop thrashing my fears onto my neighbors, and instead, spread the love I have in my heart to my neighbor, we will be one baby step closer to a peace.

We all have responsibility here.

It is not just about the gun man. It begins with my behavior toward you, my behavior about you to others and my behavior about others to you. We are either spreading love or fear. The media are doing a super job spreading fear. They clearly don’t understand the fear/love connection.

This is what is being spread through fear.

This is what we should be spreading around.

God removes my fear when I pray. He does not remove my fear when I do not.

Pops and I had great discussions last night. Really touching base for the first time in weeks. We have had guests almost solid for three weeks. It has been really great to have spent the time with all that came by but a rest is in store for sure.

One topic of discussion was our anniversary. Next Tuesday. 30. Did I just say 30? I gag when I try to put my name in the same sentence with doing anything for thirty years. I haven’t even turned thirty yet.

It’s a long, long road.

Most years we take time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we want to go. I had someone tell me once that doing that is a bunch of ” crap” as they put it. For us, it is a necessary step to ensure growth. It is our intention to live with purpose and thought. How can we do that if there is no reflection? Simply existing or wingin’ it is not an option. There HAS to be more to it than that, right? I mean, we only get one shot at this, I’m thinkin’.

Marriage is really really REALLY hard. To me, it is hands down the greatest test of perseverance. What in the world can we even compare it to? When I really think about it it seems really bizarre. To spend the majority of your life with one person, fighting all the battles that are laid out before us. Goodness gracious. Thank you, God, for giving me Pops to be on my team. I need people on my team. Don’t you? Now, I have wanted to kick him off my team on numerous occasions and I know he has wanted to do the same to me. But with work, and I mean WORK, we have come a long way. We are not above whatever it takes to keep this machine running.

Bridal Compassion, 2003

For me, the most precious thing about marriage is the history that is weaved through time between two people. My husband has known my business for the better part of my life. His eyes have seen the same thing my eyes have seen for thirty years for goodness sakes. Isn’t that insane?

So, what does this have to do with farming?? Well, it certainly is a part of where we have chosen to go. Making this decision has added a richness and complexity to our marriage that I would not have imagined. Challenges and learning new things is a part of our daily life because of this farm and we are not in a stagnant place. That puts us in an environment that encourages growth.

What do I want to do or accomplish this next thirty years?

Of course, love him more. He always wants more, more, more.

1. Figure out a way to get 6 more hours in my day.

2. Sleep. Sleep a lot.

3. Learn how to give a vaccination to a baby goat without it going limp in a near death state.

4. Learn to like or tolerate male chickens, male goats, or male any animal for that matter. ugh.

5. Get my dogs to poop where I want them to.

6. Turn this global warming thing around. I am close to solving it. I will let you know when my scientific research is complete.

7. Save all the glorious trees in the world. Probably should stop building things then, huh?

8. Get my self organized by putting things back where they belong. huh? Really? Did I just say that?

9. Stop cleaning my house as often as I do. Once a month is too often, people.

10. Finally, accept myself for who I am. Sometimes I can’t quite get the hang of living with myself. I still don’t understand who it is living inside here with me.

I do feel confident that if I set just one goal for the next thirty years, everything will fall gently into place. That one goal for me is to grow more holy. Unfortunate things will continue to fall upon us, but with His Grace, the love will persevere. That, I am positive.

Psalm 65

9 You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.